Current for 2026
Additional contribution 2026 –
switch & save now
Has your health insurer raised its additional contribution? Then you have a special right of termination – and can cancel straight away and switch to a cheaper insurer.
The basics
What is the additional contribution?
The general contribution rate for statutory health insurance (GKV) is 14.6% of gross income – the same for all insurers. On top of that comes the additional contribution set individually by each insurer.
General contribution rate
14.6% of gross income – set by law and the same at all insurers. Paid half by the employee and half by the employer.
Insurer-specific additional contribution
Each insurer sets its own additional contribution. The official average for 2026 is 2.9% (§ 242a SGB V); in fact, at the end of June 2026 insurers charged around 3.13% on average. The range between the cheapest and the most expensive insurer is around 2.2 percentage points.
Example calculation: what the difference costs
With a gross salary of €4,000 a month, a 1% difference in the additional contribution means €40 less in contributions in total – of which the employee bears €20 / month (= €240 / year) and the employer also €20.
With a difference of 2% this doubles accordingly: the employee saves €40 / month (= €480 / year) – and the employer the same again. In 2026 the range between the cheapest and the most expensive insurer is around 2.2 percentage points (2.18% to 4.39%, source: list of health insurers published by the GKV-Spitzenverband, the national association of statutory health insurers). Not every insurer can be chosen in every federal state – among insurers available nationwide the range is around 1.9 percentage points.
Your right
Special right of termination after a contribution increase
If your health insurer raises its additional contribution, you can cancel without waiting out the 12-month minimum membership.
Keep an eye on it yourself
Since 30 July 2026 your insurer no longer has to inform you about an increase – the former duty to notify no longer applies. So check your additional contribution yourself.
Deadline: end of the month
You can cancel up to the end of the month for which the increased additional contribution first applies (§ 175 Abs. 4 SGB V). So an increase on 1 January means: cancel by 31 January.
No minimum period
The 12-month minimum membership period does not apply here. The switch itself takes effect after the normal notice period – if you cancel in January, you'll be with your new insurer from 1 April.
New since 30 July 2026
Your insurer no longer has to inform you about an increase
Until the end of July 2026, every health insurer had to write to its members at least one month before raising the additional contribution and explicitly point out the special right of termination. This duty to inform was abolished without replacement by the GKV-Beitragssatzstabilisierungsgesetz (Act to Stabilise Contribution Rates in Statutory Health Insurance).
No more letter
There is no longer any duty to send a separate letter. You may only find out about an increase from your contribution statement or your insurer's website.
The deadline still runs
In the past, the notice period was postponed if the insurer didn't inform you in time. This rule is gone too. The deadline now runs even if you don't notice the increase.
The right remains
The special right of termination itself remains unchanged: you can cancel up to the end of the month for which the increased contribution first applies – without the 12-month minimum membership.
What you should do yourself now
Check once or twice a year which additional contribution your insurer charges – especially at the turn of the year, when most insurers adjust their rates. The GKV-Spitzenverband (the national association of statutory health insurers) publishes the current rates of all health insurers in a daily updated list of health insurers. If your insurer is well above the cheapest providers, a comparison is worthwhile – even without an increase, because after 12 months of membership you can switch at any time anyway.
Legal basis: § 175 Abs. 4 SGB V as amended by the Act to Stabilise Contribution Rates in Statutory Health Insurance (Gesetz zur Stabilisierung der Beitragssätze in der gesetzlichen Krankenversicherung) of 24.07.2026 (BGBl. 2026 I Nr. 228), in force since 30.07.2026. This page provides general information and does not constitute legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Everything about the additional contribution 2026
Does my health insurer have to inform me about a contribution increase?
What is the average additional contribution in 2026?
Do I pay the additional contribution on my own?
What happens if I don't use the special right of termination?
Will I get a refund for extra contributions I've already paid?
Why is the comparison free?
The comparison and any advice are completely free of charge for you. We only receive remuneration if a switch of health insurer takes place – and it comes from the receiving health insurer, not from you. You incur no costs and no obligations whatsoever.
you, always
You don't have to cancel your old health insurance yourself. Your new insurer handles the entire cancellation. You just briefly tell your employer which insurer you're switching to – the new insurer then sends them the membership certificate (Mitgliedsbescheinigung) electronically.
The entire switch happens online. No public office, no fax, no waiting room. Your membership application takes just a few minutes to submit online.
All statutory health insurers open nationwide are obliged to accept members – with no health check and no waiting period. Company health insurers (Betriebskrankenkassen) may be restricted to certain groups of people.